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Overview

Chicken Dance by Tammi Sauer, Dan Santat

Meet Marge and Lola, chickens on a mission: to win tickets for the Elvis Poultry Show! But their toughest competition—a pack of menacing ducks—sneers that “all a chicken can do is bawk, flap, and shake.” Can our two feisty chicks show those quackers how to rock ’n’ roll the barnyard?

Tammi Sauer and Dan Santat have whipped up a giddy, goofy romp where cows fly over the moon, ducks surf in a water trough, and one very familiar-looking rooster gets all shook up!

Product Details

About the Author

Tammi Sauer is the author of the bestselling Cowboy Camp, Bawk & Roll, and The Twelve Days of Christmas in Oklahoma (all Sterling). She's an active blogger (tammisauer.com) and is highly involved in the children's writer community. Tammi has worked as a teacher and library media specialist and now lives in Edmond, OK, with her husband and their two children.

Dan Santat is the author and illustrator of Sidekicks and The Guild of Geniuses (Arthur A Levine Books), which was a Society of Illustrators Original Art Show Selection and won the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators Bronze Medal for Book Illustration. He won the Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators for Oh No! (Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World), written by Mac Barnett (Disney-Hyperion). In addition, Dan illustrated Rhea Perlman's Otto Undercover series (Katherine Tegan Books/HarperCollins) and The Secret Life of Walter Kitty, written by Barbara Jean Hicks (Knopf Books for Young Readers). He is also the creator of the Disney animated hit The Replacements. Dan lives in Southern CA. Find out more at dantat.com.

Editorial Reviews

Move over, Susan Boyle: the next talent-that-comes-out-of nowhere is a pair of chickens named Marge and Lola. They're determined to win tickets to see a performance of their idol, Elvis Poultry. But they'll have to place first in the barnyard talent show—outscoring acts that include a trio of goats that eat a tractor onstage and cows that jump over the moon—and humiliate their snotty duck rivals. “Get some floaties, chickens!” shout the ducks after the chickens test their swimming prowess with unsuccessful results (“They totally sank”). With snappy banter (“We're on,” says Marge as their turn on the stage arrives. “We're doomed,” replies Lola) and tightly constructed storytelling, Sauer (Cowboy Camp) pulls off the neat trick of both embracing and spoofing the against-all-odds genre. Totally in sync with his collaborator, Santat's (Always Lots of Heinies at the Zoo) sculptural, mixed media pictures exude an old-fashioned, theatrical drama that lifts the many jokes—visual and textual—into sublime silliness. Ages 4–7. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2–4—Taking off on television's popular American Idol show, Sauer's text poses a barnyard talent spree with winners getting two tickets to see the famed Elvis Poultry. In the past, the ducks have always aced the contest, but this year Lola and Marge, two determined chickens, set out to be the winners. Scenes of colorful acrobatics stunts, surfing maneuvers, and even cows jumping over the moon fill the pages, interspersed with funny vote-tallying images. At this point, however, the story stumbles in a bit of confusion. The cows are awarded a 10, flatten the ducks, and receive the winning tickets, while Lola and Marge, who "bawked and flapped and shook all over the stage," get 8.5 and are invited by Elvis to dance in his next show. Santat's illustrations, created in acrylic and ink with Adobe Photoshop, provide silly animal faces in sync with the crazy gyrations of the barnyard beasts' performances. Type is scattered across the page adding to the feeling of the tale's mayhem. Children may not get the Elvis connection, but librarians with plentiful budgets may find the book's contest angle worthy of purchase.—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA

School Library Journal

A duck-and-chicken rivalry turns foul in this outrageous offering. Barn animals compete in a talent show to win Elvis Poultry concert tickets; after all, the King's "top bird." For chickens Marge and Lola, practice proves fruitless: Bowling squashes them flat, juggling sets feathers on fire and flying leaves the duo disoriented and "up to their wattles" in the haystack. The bullying ducks taunt them along the way. "Don't bother, drumsticks. Ducks win every year." During the night's grand show, the chickens' typical squawking and flapping leaves Elvis impressed with the dynamic divas. The zippy narrative features punchy dialogue and witty interactions; creative wordplay abounds ("Let's bawk and roll!"). Droll delivery soars high, advancing the story line to its playful conclusion. Santat's rich ink-and-acrylic designs provide a humorous context through animated expressions. Elvis, in his signature sequined white suit and dark shades, dominates his double-page spreads. Utilizing shadow and depth, warm colors provide the background for the energetic antics. Fly the coop to enjoy this hilarious adventure. (Picture book. 4-8)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

This book is a blast! All of my kids had fun reading it, as did I. It's fun, it's witty, and it's highly entertaining. The illustrations are so well-done & amusing. It's a new favorite here at our house. I just wish it was a read-to-me book. With the right voices, it would seriously be too much fun!

Hannah Ricci

More than 1 year ago

it is cute for a younger kid like me!

Mary_T

More than 1 year ago

Chicken Dance by Tammi Sauer is a cute, silly tale about a barnyard talent competition, the prize for which is a couple of tickets to the sold-out Elvis Poulty Concert. But the real stars of the show are the illustrations by Dan Santat. His nostalgic, almost primitive forms come to life with a rich, lush color palette and deep, earthtoned shadowing. Santat paints a gorgeous nightscape where the humble farm animals engage in a surprisingly bloodthirsty competition for the prized tickets. Elvis lives! And he is a heart-throb for feminine foul everywhere. Adults will appreciate certain grown-up references and their children will love the goofy animal antics.

Carrie Altice

More than 1 year ago

this book has elvis . the place takes place on the barn.but i love this book .

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normysmom

More than 1 year ago

My five year old and I love this book, but it would be nice if it had the read-to-me feature, too.

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